Maine to Eliminate Non-Medical Exemptions for Vaccinations(AUGUSTA, Maine) — Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Friday signed into law a bill that eliminates religious and philosophical exemptions for vaccinations in Maine.
Maine has one of the highest rates of non-medical vaccine exemptions in the nation, and health officials say the opt-out rates appear to be rising.
“As we hear more reports of measles and other preventable diseases in Maine and across the country, it has become clear that we must act to ensure the health of our communities,” said Democratic Rep. Ryan Tipping of Orono, the bill’s sponsor.
Maine will end non-medical vaccine opt-outs by 2021 f...Source: TIME: Health - May 24, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Associated Press Tags: Uncategorized Maine onetime vaccinations Source Type: news

Measles vaccination: 'All for one and one for all'(Florida Atlantic University) A commentary by researchers addresses the specter of clinical, ethical, public health and legal concerns that have been raised because of the recent measles outbreaks in New York. So far, the outbreaks seem to have emanated from ultra-Orthodox Jewish residents whose affected children were never vaccinated. Their commentary is motivated in part by the availability of important and relevant data from a small case series of interviews conducted with ultra-Orthodox Jewish mothers in Williamsburg and Rockland counties. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - May 24, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

New Hampshire Child Didn ’ t Have Measles, Had Vaccine ReactionKEENE, N.H. (CBS) – A child in New Hampshire who was initially diagnosed with the measles last week actually had a reaction to the vaccine and is not infected with the virus, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday.
The department released a statement Sunday warning the public that a child had been diagnosed with infectious measles and had been at three locations in Keene.
But further lab tests revealed that this was not an infection but rather a reaction to the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, which is made using a weakened version of the virus to build up a person’s immun...Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - May 23, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Health – CBS Boston Tags: Boston News Health Syndicated Local Measles New Hampshire News Source Type: news

Amid measles outbreaks, some want vaccination laws changedWith outbreaks reported around the country, measles are on the minds of many people, including some in New York who want stiffer vaccination laws.
Legislative measures in the state, though, such as a bill earlier this month that would have mandated vaccinations for children to attend school and eliminated religious exemptions, failed to make it out of committee and to a vote in the state Assembly.
Some states in recent years, to mixed revie ws from constituents, made it easier for parents to receive… (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines)Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Biotechnology headlines - May 23, 2019 Category: Biotechnology Authors: Patrick Connelly Source Type: news

Global Health: Measles Outbreak Now at 880 Cases, With Fastest Growth Still in New YorkWarming weather usually slows transmission of the virus, but it is not clear that this outbreak is fading, experts said. (Source: NYT Health)Source: NYT Health - May 21, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. Tags: Measles Vaccination and Immunization Parenting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Associated Press Clark County (Wash) Vashon Island (Wash) New York City your-feed-science Source Type: news

Measles Outbreak Now at 880 Cases, With Fastest Growth Still in New YorkWarming weather usually slows transmission of the virus, but it is not clear that this outbreak is fading, experts said. (Source: NYT Health)Source: NYT Health - May 21, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Donald G. McNeil Jr. Tags: Measles Vaccination and Immunization Parenting Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Associated Press Clark County (Wash) Vashon Island (Wash) New York City your-feed-science Source Type: news

California law led to an increase in childhood vaccination rates(George Washington University) A first of its kind analysis published today by researchers at the George Washington University (GW) found that a 2016 California vaccine law boosted protective coverage against measles and other serious childhood diseases compared to states that acted as statistical controls. At the same time, the data also revealed a sharp increase in medical exemptions to the vaccine mandate, concentrated in a few California counties. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - May 20, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Sierra Leone: Health Ministry Targets Over 3.2 Million Children With Lifesaving Interventions[Concord] This was made known last week at an orientation meeting held for District Health Education/Social Mobilization Officers and Heath Committee Chairpersons of Councils at the Atlantic Hall, National Stadium in Freetown he Ministry of Health and Sanitation in collaboration with UNICEF, WHO, GAVI and other Health Development Partners will soon embark on a Nationwide Measles Rubella Vaccination Campaign, reaching approximately 3.2 Million Children with Lifesaving Health Interventions, starting from Monday June 1 (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - May 16, 2019 Category: African Health Source Type: news

Tracking down the people behind misinformation on measles vaccinesProtesters are gathering at the New York Capitol Tuesday to fight a bill to end religious exemptions for vaccines. All but three states allow religious exemptions as a reason not to vaccinate children. There are 839 confirmed measles cases across the country. The disease had been declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. Dr. Jon LaPook reports. (Source: Health News: CBSNews.com)Source: Health News: CBSNews.com - May 14, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

25 US counties identified as most at risk for measles outbreaks(University of Texas at Austin) Twenty-five counties across the country have been identified to be most at risk for a measles outbreak due to low-vaccination rates compounded by a high volume of international travel, according to an analysis by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Johns Hopkins University. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - May 13, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

Winning hearts and minds over vaccinesThe World Health Organization listed vaccine hesitancy - when parents delay or withhold vaccines for their children - as one of the Top 10 health risks for 2019. Now, with more than 700 confirmed cases of measles in 23 states, public health officials are scrambling to put a stop to it. Dr. Jon LaPook reports on health experts using science as an antidote to misinformation about vaccines. (Source: Health News: CBSNews.com)Source: Health News: CBSNews.com - May 12, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news

Global Health: Where Will Measles Break Out Next? Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami, Scientists PredictA new study ranks the risks in U.S. counties by the numbers of unvaccinated children and proximity to international airports. But no one predicted the outbreak in Brooklyn. (Source: NYT Health)Source: NYT Health - May 11, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: DONALD G. McNEIL Jr. Tags: Measles Vaccination and Immunization Epidemics Lancet Infectious Diseases, The (Journal) Maps Jews and Judaism Airports Centers for Disease Control and Prevention University of Texas at Austin Texas Children's Hospital Hotez, Peter J Source Type: news

Washington State Limits Exemptions for Children Not Being Vaccinated(VANCOUVER, Wash.) — Parents in Washington state will no longer be able to claim a personal or philosophical exemption for their children from receiving the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine before attending a day care center or school under a measure signed Friday by Gov. Jay Inslee.
The state saw more than 70 cases of measles this year, and Inslee signed the bill at Vancouver City Hall, in the county where most of those cases were centered. The new law takes effect at the end of July.
Inslee said that while the bill was an important step in public health, he warned it doesn’t do “everything ne...Source: TIME: Health - May 10, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: GILLIAN FLACCUS and RACHEL LA CORTE / AP Tags: Uncategorized measles onetime washington Source Type: news

A Smackdown in the Kennedy Clan Summons Up the History of Presidents and VaccinesFamily quarrels are usually private things—unless of course, the family is famous.
A public spat among boldface names broke out on May 8, when three members of the Kennedy clan published a piece on Politico declaring that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—son of Bobby Kennedy—has been “tragically wrong” in his years-long crusade against vaccines, a crusade that seems especially irresponsible now as the country suffers through its worst measles outbreak since 1994. Kennedy has become a hero of the anti-vax crowd with his persistent claims that vaccines contain deadly ingredients, particularly a mercury-ba...Source: TIME: Health - May 9, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jeffrey Kluger Tags: Uncategorized History onetime Source Type: news

A Smackdown in the Kennedy Clan Summons Up the History of Presidents and VaccinesFamily quarrels are usually private things—unless of course, the family is famous.
A public spat among boldface names broke out on May 8, when three members of the Kennedy clan published a piece on Politico declaring that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—son of Bobby Kennedy—has been “tragically wrong” in his years-long crusade against vaccines, a crusade that seems especially irresponsible now as the country suffers through its worst measles outbreak since 1994. Kennedy has become a hero of the anti-vax crowd with his persistent claims that vaccines contain deadly ingredients, particularly a mercury-ba...Source: TIME: Science - May 9, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Jeffrey Kluger Tags: Uncategorized History onetime Source Type: news

New analysis predicts top 25 US counties at risk for measles outbreaks(Johns Hopkins University) A new analysis co-led by The Johns Hopkins University identified 25 United States counties that are most likely to experience measles outbreaks in 2019. The analysis combined international air travel volume, non-medical exemptions from childhood vaccinations, population data and reported measles outbreak information. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - May 9, 2019 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news

Measles – TunisiaFrom 1 January through 30 April 2019, the Ministry of Health in Tunisia responded to a large measles outbreak in the country. A total of 3 141 suspected cases, of which 909 (28.9%) were laboratory confirmed and 1 236 (39.4 %) epidemiologically linked cases including 30 deaths (case fatality ratio=1.0 %), have been reported in all of the 24 governorates (range 1 – 1 274). The majority of cases were reported from Kasserine (1 274 cases) and Sfax (212 cases) governorates. In April 2019, four additional governorates were particularly affected with 155, 116, 93 and 69 cases reported from Kairouan, Tunis, Sousse and Nabeul...Source: WHO Disease Outbreaks - May 9, 2019 Category: Infectious Diseases Tags: news Source Type: news

Measles and the canonical path to eliminationAll World Health Organization regions have set measles elimination goals. We find that as countries progress toward these goals, they undergo predictable changes in the size and frequency of measles outbreaks. A country’s position on this "canonical path" is driven by both measles control activities and demographic factors, which combine to change the effective size of the measles-susceptible population, thereby driving the country through theoretically established dynamic regimes. Further, position on the path to elimination provides critical information for guiding vaccination efforts, such as the age pro...Source: ScienceNOW - May 9, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Graham, M., Winter, A. K., Ferrari, M., Grenfell, B., Moss, W. J., Azman, A. S., Metcalf, C. J. E., Lessler, J. Tags: Epidemiology reports Source Type: news

New Jersey Office of EMS Offers Measles Guidance for First RespondersThe New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has received numerous inquiries regarding precautions that should be taken by first responders when evaluating and transporting persons with suspected measles infections. In light of recent measles cases/exposures and ongoing measles outbreaks in New Jersey and surrounding communities, the Department has updated recommendations for first responders, particularly those providing Emergency Medical Services care.
In addition to routine infection prevention practices including standard precautions, NJDOH recommends the following:
1. Vaccination
All first responders should ha...Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - May 7, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: News Patient Care Source Type: news

New Jersey Office of EMS Offers Measles Guidance for First RespondersThe New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) has received numerous inquiries regarding precautions that should be taken by first responders when evaluating and transporting persons with suspected measles infections. In light of recent measles cases/exposures and ongoing measles outbreaks in New Jersey and surrounding communities, the Department has updated recommendations for first responders, particularly those providing Emergency Medical Services care.
In addition to routine infection prevention practices including standard precautions, NJDOH recommends the following:
1. Vaccination
All first responders should ha...Source: JEMS Patient Care - May 7, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: News Patient Care Source Type: news

U.S. Measles Count Rises, Driven by New York OutbreakNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say at least 60 more measles cases have been reported, increasing a 2019 tally that is already the highest in 25 years.
Officials on Monday said 764 cases have been reported as of last Thursday. It's the most in the U.S. since 1994, when 963 were reported.
New York has had the most illnesses this year, by far. Last week's cases included 41 in New York City and 11 in nearby Rockland County. Most were unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities.
In all, 23 states have reported cases this year. The latest to join the list is Pennsylvania.
Measles was once common but gradually...Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - May 7, 2019 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: News Source Type: news